Legal Issues in Biotechnology and Human Reproduction

WARREN FREEDMAN, a member of the New York, Federal, and U.S. Supreme Court Bars, served as corporate counsel to Bristol-Myers Company for 20 years in addition to his private law practice.

In dealing with recent advances in biological engineering and human reproduction, we are confronted with legal, ethical, and religious questions for which there are no precedents. Warren Freedman undertakes a comprehensive examination of this topic. Sorting through the tangle of issues surrounding artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood, and other aspects of contemporary reproduction trends, Freedman attempts to clarify the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families, and society in the face of these new developments.The author begins with a survey of the legal implications of nontraditional approaches to conception and birth. Separate chapters are devoted to artificial insemination and surrogate motherhood; and new concepts such as cryo-preservation, in-vitro fertilization, banking of sperms and eggs, and patentable new organisms are also discussed in detail. The author addresses questions of rights and liabilities as they apply to fetuses, donors, and adoptive parents, as well as the role of physicians and parenthood organizations, researchers, corporations, and government. Following a review of existing statutes, policies, and contracts that attempt to deal with these issues both here and abroad, he presents proposals that may aid in achieving equitable, uniform solutions. Freedman's book will be of interest to any citizen, group, or government agency concerned with these vital questions, and to professionals in law, government, medicine, human services, and industry.

Introduction to the Biological Present and the Biological FutureArtificial Insemination: Its Role in the Scheme of ReproductionDramatis Personnae: General Rights and DutiesSome Legal Issues and ProblemsBaby Selling and Surrogate MotherhoodReligion and Morality in the Creation of the New FamilyRelated Legal Liability MattersInternational Aspects of the Creation of the New FamilyGovernmental Regulation and the New FamilyForms, Contracts, and Statutes: The Creation of the New FamilyIndex to CasesSubject Index